AP - A trio of singing siblings, five sisters who tap dance, three tenors from Texas, a husband-and-wife dance team and a man and his dog are advancing to the next round of "America's Got Talent."
(Reuters) Reuters - Free tickets will be distributed online starting Monday for special Imax presentations of a 16-minute trailer for the 3D sci-fi action movie "Avatar." Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 13 Aug 2009 | 3:32 am
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Free tickets will be distributed online starting Monday for special Imax presentations of a 16-minute trailer for the 3D sci-fi action movie "Avatar." Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 13 Aug 2009 | 3:32 am
Reuters - Free tickets will be distributed online starting Monday for special Imax presentations of a 16-minute trailer for the 3D sci-fi action movie "Avatar."
"The House Bunny" star Anna Faris has married her fiance, actor Chris Pratt. A publicist for Faris confirms that the two were wed in Bali on July 9. People.com was the first to report... Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 11:26 pm
No, its new trailer does not bode well for its coherence, but we're certainly interested in this thing — so good news: Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has found an American distributor. Variety reports that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group is in "advanced talks" to buy the film, which features Heath Ledger's last-ever performance. Wild rumors about a December 25 opening have been bouncing around theblogosphere this week, though Variety will only say that a 2009 release is "likely." The deal has reportedly "long been in the works" and "could be made official this week," with For Your Consideration ads to follow soon after, presumably.
AP - Former Vice President Dick Cheney believes his old boss, President George W. Bush, gradually turned away from his advice during their second term in the White House, showing a surprising independence as he started taking more flexible positions on a range of issues, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
After nearly a week of silence, Michael Douglas is finally speaking out about son Cameron Douglas' arrest.
"The family is devastated and very disappointed in Cameron's recent...
A source close to the Jacksons tells E! News that the family is now looking to...
• In his next-to-last review for the Times, Frank Bruni upgrades Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park from three stars to four, making it Bruni's sixth four-star review in five years and making Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park's 32-year-old chef, an extraordinarily happy man, suffice it to say. [NYT] • Related: Over on Diner's Journal, Bruni explains the big decision. [NYT/DJ] • Other reviews this week: Time Out's Jay Cheshes gives Aureole four out of five stars; Restaurant Girl comes away from the Standard Grill very impressed; the Post's Steve Cuozzo is thrilled with the Standard Grill, too; and Bloomberg News's Ryan Sutton gives two stars out of four to SHO Shaun Hergatt. • As rumored a few months back, the Sant Ambroeus team is taking over the former Lever House space and turning it into Casa Lever. [NYT] • Todd English has signed on to oversee the kitchen at the Great Jones Hotel, a 13-story hotel that is currently under construction. [Eater]
• A Paris-based restaurant chain called Dans Le Noir is on the hunt for a NYC location. As the name suggests, all the dining happens in the dark. [NYP] • Is the Roxy about to return to the club scene? That's the rumor. [DBTH] • Did you know that Magnolia Bakery is destroying the West Village? [VV] • Los Dados co-owner David Rabin reports he's sprucing up the joint. [GS] • A Florida-based bagel company says its bagels are just as good as the ones you'll find in NYC because they're made with "Brooklyn water." [Gothamist] • A roundup of New York's "quirkiest scoops, snow cones and popsicles." [MM]
That's right, folks.
It's been nearly two years since TV journalist Rita Cosby released that steamy Anna Nicole Smith tell-all and today, a judge granted Smith's former...
Kendra Wilkinson and hubby Hank Baskett are having a boy!
The newlyweds found out earlier today.
"We were at the doctor's, and he said, 'You wanna know now?'...
Better yet, Anna Faris has tied the knot.
The House Bunny and Scary Movie star and her actor beau, Chris Pratt, swapped vows in July, Faris' rep confirms to E! News.
Back...
Seeing as we the viewers were left feeling bruised, battered, and maybe even a little bit sexually shamed by the first season of NYC Prep, we of course assumed that the people on the show — from the main characters to the guest stars — would feel brutalized by it also. After all, from where we were sitting, nobody came off looking too great (again, that includes us as viewers). But it turns out, people have a pretty thick skin, and everyone we talked to had a pretty positive outlook on how they came off. Take therapist Audrey Jacobs Brockner, for example, who risked her career as a serious headshrinker by going on reality television to talk to a known narcissist and give him off-the-cuff advice. "They're lovely people all the producers," she said. They seemed very attached to the kids."
Audrey said she would have obviously never done any kind of real session for television, that the red-velvet bordello she operated out of was not actually her office, and that PC was not actually her patient—they only had the one conversation. "It was not therapy, clearly," she said. But: "I liked him very much. He is a thoughtful sort of young man. He thinks about himself in sort of a deep way. "
Likewise, Camille's personal stylist Hitha had no complaints, even after getting painted with the bitch brush by producers. "I'm super nice, for all intents and purposes," Hitha told us. "It made it seem like we didn't get along, but we did." Camille, she said, was "unbelievably smart, and super driven, with the most impeccable manners I have ever seen on a 16 year old ... She reminded me of myself," she said.
And even Social Life editor-in-chief Devorah Rose, who came across like a somewhat rude party-crasher, came away with good feelings. She described the filming process as "organic" and said she didn't feel manipulated by Bravo at all. "That's who I am, I live my life out loud. And I love crazy people — I love to have a fun time," she explained of her zany shoot, which ended up with PC shirtless and nuzzling a male photographer. "I didn't even know how old he was. I thought he was 23, and I found out he was 18 and I was like, WHAT? That guy has a beard! And I tried to set him up with a model!" (Rose also adds that PC was the one who was forward with stylist Trey, not the other way around.)
It's the aftermath of the show that Rose says is the bad part. "I think what viewers should understand is that a few hours a week can't capture every aspect of a human's life," she told us. "These characters are actual people, they're much more well rounded than what you're seeing." Rose said she's been the target of mean commentary on blogs, and has received hundreds of e-mails — "some crazy, some not so crazy, a few nice" — after her appearance on the show.
Still, it seems that most of the negative feedback has rolled off the backs of the cast. "I learned that I have a thicker skin than I thought I did," Jessie told The Wall Street Journal. "I learned that there are sometimes nice bloggers, sometimes not. It was definitely an interesting experience. Some people said I am cross-eyed. I am obese. I look like a horse." According to Rose, PC was unfazed as well — even though much of the commentary and speculation was directed his way. "I think PC definitely gets it. In fact, when I was upset, he was the one that was telling me calm down, who cares, people that really know who we are and interact with us and value us aren't going to be affected by all the negative things people are saying," she explained, adding that he tries not to read a lot of the press. "He's so cool and levelheaded and fun, and he doesn't care. He knew what he was getting into, he did it, he came out of it very unscathed by the whole thing." Apparently he's hoping this will boost his acting career.
Jessie even appears to have a sense of humor about the way the show abused her image. "My friend said to me today on the train that there’s some 80-year-old guy who’s going to probably jerk off to you tonight," she told the Journal. "It's the funniest thing."
Anna Wintour will go on The Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, August 24, undoubtedly to promote forthcoming documentary The September Issue. First the movie, then 60 Minutes, and now this. It is all too, too much. Our Anna is finally embracing the superstar she has always been and braving not only a live audience but, once again, a national television audience that includes a great part of Middle America. And this even after she said the people in Minnesota look like "little houses." Now that is a woman with conviction. Dave doesn't stand a chance against her.
A US judge has blocked RealNetworks from selling DVD copying software that film studios fear could be used as a tool by pirates to create bootleg copies of films. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 5:18 pm
It has to be tough creating a video for a song as catchy as the Big Pink’s “Dominos” (off the forthcoming stupidly titled A Brief History of Love): How do you hook the viewer as they’ve hooked the listener? Whoever made this clip settled on exploding ice sculptures of women. This is not particularly successful as a means of holding one’s attention, but it does succeed at highlighting the skeevy aspect of the song: The singer seems to be suggesting that all women are cold and, as a result, should probably be destroyed in dramatic fashion. Or at least that’s what we hear. Because of the guy’s accent and slurry delivery, the verses are sort of difficult to make out. (This video sucks.)
The hazing of AIG's (jolly) new CEO continues: "The appointment of Robert Benmosche as chief executive of American International Group Inc. raises a conflict-of-interest issue for at least one potential deal as the global insurer seeks to sell assets. AIG has been in talks with MetLife Inc. about a possible deal for all or part of one of AIG's largest foreign life-insurance units. Mr. Benmosche is an ex-MetLife Inc. chairman and chief executive and remains a MetLife shareholder." Sigh. [WSJ]
According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, there is a new Tom Clancy screenplay in development, but George Clooney won't be playing Jack Ryan, no matter how much he wants to. Says di Bonaventura: "We submitted a script to Paramount recently. It was well received and it's in the process... It's for a young Jack Ryan. I love George, but it's not written for a man of his age. It's written for a guy in his early 30s." Zac Efron, call your agent! [Movies Blog/MTV]
If you've been reading Vulture long enough, you'll no doubt recognize that our patron saint is McLovin. Although we have come up fruitless in our search to identify his mysterious European girlfriend, we're proud to announce that Christopher Mintz-Plasse and the eternally smooth Common are the latest celebs to pair up as part of Mean's highly entertaining Cinemash series (previous pairings include Zooey Deschanel with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum with Charlyne Yi). This time around, McLovin and Common put their acting chops to the test with a remake of Antoine Fuqua's early-aughts classic Training Day, but probably not in the manner that you'd expect.
From left, a dress by Modern Amusement for $98 (originally $250), a knit vest by Generra for $88 (originally $275), and a skirt by Kova & T for $88 (originally $220).
With a healthy $40 million cash infusion under their belt, flash sample-sale site Gilt Groupe is expanding. Today the company launched another sample-sale website called Gilt Fuse. Gilt Fuse is the poor man's Gilt Groupe, offering clothes that are cheaper and lower-end. Gilt's chief executive, Susan Lyne, explains in the Observer that Fuse is for chicks who still can't afford labels like Alessandro Dell'Acqua at 70 percent off: “A $200 or $150 dress is still a big purchase for them. They say, ‘I love looking at the stuff but it doesn’t really fit my lifestyle. I don’t have a place to wear those clothes.’” Instead of Thom Browne and Christian Louboutin, you'll find labels like Generra, Kova & T, and Modern Amusement, which are all on sale today on Fuse. Fuse works the same way as Groupe, with sales that last 36 hours (Fuse, however, only carries womenswear).
It's hard to tell how amazing a site like this will be after just one day, but Fuse might make for more enjoyable, leisurely shopping than Groupe, which can easily leave one feeling stabby. When the Loub sale hits on Groupe, for instance, you have to log on immediately to have a shot at getting something you want. We suspect Fuse, for the most part, won't generate the same sense of urgency; labels like Kova & T don't typically produce items with the same level of "It"-ness as high-end labels. Our only complaint with Fuse so far is that many of the items for sale are pretty plain, and styled to the max so they look special. Any tank can look stylish on a model when paired with the proper bottoms (or lack thereof, these days). But at the end of the day it's just a tank.
Tory Burch must be in a good mood today. Sally Spanburgh reports that Burch's proposed plan to tear down her house in Southampton—the one she bought from her ex-husband earlier this year for $22.5 million—has been approved. Small sacrifices were involved, however. Town officials gave her the green light after her architect agreed to lower the height of the house he's planning to build in its place by three and a half feet, so it won't block her neighbor's view of the ocean. [SVR, previously]
Especially not a young, cute, Taiwanese former flower-shop owner called Su-Wei Yang under whose name certain assets that exceed the budget of a flower-shop owner are being kept. The fact that this woman was casually identified as the (married) Pang's "girlfriend from Taiwan" by several of the Pang's former employees, that there are pictures of the two of them together, e-mails signed "Love you very much" (albeit in Chinese) between them, that she once went on a business trip to Rome with him and would stay in a hotel adjacent to Mr. Pang's office whenever she visited him in the U.S. is immaterial. How dare the SEC even suggest it, Pang's lawyers wonder:
One of Mr. Pang's lawyers responded in a June 23 letter, filed in court, calling that an "inflammatory" and unsupported "piece of office gossip" that was defamatory.
Really. It's just shameful the lengths to which the SEC will go. Everyone knows Danny Pang is an upstanding citizen who had nary a skeleton in his closet before this whole $83 million fraud thing.
AP - People are so preoccupied with the importance of the soul, it's become its own cottage industry. Oprah Winfrey has devoted an entire series to the evolution of one's soul. If yours is hungry, you can feed it chicken soup.
We haven't had a new picture of Michelle Obama to share with you for nine whole days. But at last she emerged for the cameras today wearing a dress and blue cardigan at a reception for Justice Sonia Sotomayor in the White House. It's the same outfit she wore on a stroll through the gardens of 10 Downing in London in June, but accessorized with a turquoise flower pin instead of a waist belt. She looks lovely without a waist belt! See the full look in the Michelle Obama Look Book.
After the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences announced plans to "time shift" eight less-starry categories this year — airing winners' acceptance speeches in pretaped, edited-down form — a bunch of affected writers threw a fit. So executive producer Don Misher changed his mind and now all 28 categories will be presented live at September 20's ceremony, presumably at the expense of host Neil Patrick Harris's monologue and comedy bits. Nice going, writers! [HR]
Bravo Peter Lindbergh for producing another spread of unretouched images, this time for Harper's Bazaar. Lindbergh shot supermodels including Cindy Crawford, Amber Valletta, and Shalom Harlow with no makeup and minimal retouching for the September issue. Sure, it's the group of people in the world who need the least retouching to begin with. But it's the most natural thing we've seen in a fashion magazine since Lindbergh's shots of Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau, and Eva Herzigova for the covers of French Elle earlier this year, who were also unretouched and wearing no makeup. Lindbergh told the Times in May, “Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.” Bravo Harper's Bazaar for running the story. We hope to see more magazines give their retouchers a few days off. But will any be bold enough to produce a spread of models or actresses or — perish the thought — normal people wearing something other than tank tops or oversize white shirts? Like swimwear? See Lindbergh's new Bazaar shoot in the slideshow.
What did we do today? Oh, no biggie, just got to meet Dave Salmoni from Animal Planet’s Into The Pride and his TEN-WEEK-OLD LION CUB:
Check BWE tomorrow for a video and full recap of the encounter, including the moment when the lion cub KILLS MICHELLE — with adorableness! And mauling.
Also, check out that “Jesus in a Renaissance painting” halo Michelle’s got going on…
Now that noted bluesman Ben Silverman has ridden off into the sunset on a white tiger while playing "Blue Shadows" on his harmonica, whom will we have to kick around? Thankfully for us, ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson seems committed to stepping up to the plate. According to Bill Carter of the New York Times, McPherson's prime-time schedule averaged a 1.1 rating in the highly coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic last week, which is tied for the all-time lowest rating in that category for a broadcast television network. As if that news doesn't smart enough, we're sad to let you know that's not the worst of it: This is the third time that ABC has hit this ratings low during this summer alone! Mediaite claims that it's been hearing that McPherson "might be next to the chopping block," but odds are that nothing is likely to change until some of the returns start coming in for the network's (promising) fall lineup. That said, we wonder if it's too late to try to figure out how to get some sexy vampires to move in to Cougar Town?
Kourtney Kardashian is going to be a mom!
While the E! reality star confirms she's pregnant with her first child, Ms. K isn't revealing too much right now. For starters,...
Name: Colson Whitehead Age: 39 Neighborhood: Fort Greene Occupation: Writer. Whitehead will be reading alongside the bands The Walkmen and High Places on Friday at the Guggenheim.
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Snake Plissken.
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
I don’t know, but I’ve had some good steaks over the years.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Sit around and think up goofy crap all day.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
I did it before, I’d do it again if I had to, but I wouldn’t enjoy it.
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
That bedroom farce about the guy who dates a lot of stewardesses [Boeing-Boeing]. It had the guy from The West Wing in it.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
Rarely enough that I should probably say no.
What's your drink?
Beer.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Most of the time.
What's your favorite medication?
A six-pack and a Benadryl.
What's hanging above your sofa?
Some pictures my wife took.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I’ve never spent more than fifteen bucks, and that was over a decade ago, so I’m not the one to ask.
When's bedtime?
1:30 a.m.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
They are simply two different ways of doing Times Square. If I were a location scout for a movie, the old one. If I wanted a Knicks jersey, the new one.
What do you think of Donald Trump? Everybody’s gotta make a living.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
Tourists who walk slowly, three abreast.
Who is your mortal enemy?
That guy who invented Crocs.
When's the last time you drove a car?
1986. I took driver’s ed in high school, learned to drive on the West Side Highway, but never bothered to get the license itself.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
Probably would have sold more copies of my last book, but maybe not.
Times, Post, or Daily News? Times.
Where do you go to be alone?
Under the kitchen sink.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
“You’re a real New Yorker when blah blah … ” I wrote a whole book about it, why don’t you check it out?
The Twilight saga adds a new undead darling to the cast of Eclipse, with Catalina Sandino Moreno joining supersucker Robert Pattinson et al. in the third intallment of the trilogy, according to...
• The black lipstick trend of fall 2008 returns! Leighton Meester wears the dark, glossy shade in an upcoming editorial for Elle magazine, posing with Gossip Girl co-star Ed Westwick. [Oh No They Didn't]
SKIN
• Bono's wife, Ali Hewson, is reportedly filing a complaint against Stella McCartney over the word nude. Hewson is a partner in a company named Nude Skincare, and claims the designer's new fragrance Stella Nude infringes on branding of the word. Is it us or is this lawsuit pointless? [Daily Mail]
HAIR
• Alessandra Ambrosio now has bangs. Hairstylist Louis Angelo Chiodo gave her the new look yesterday. [Modelinia]
Could Victoria Beckham's stint as a post-Paula Abdul judge on American Idol be more than the one-off gig asserted by producers?
Quite possibly.
E! News has learned that...
At age 24, having already written six plays, Martin McDonagh introduced himself to another playwright by saying, “I’m the most important playwright in England and Ireland for the next twenty years.” McDonagh hasn’t quite gotten that far, but in the intervening fifteen years, he has managed a couple of Broadway hits — all except one of them violent, gory, and very funny capers set in western Ireland. And yet even as he branched off into screenwriting with movies like In Bruges, McDonagh wasn’t writing anything new for the stage. He hinted in interviews that his playwrighting career might be over.
That changed in January, with the announcement that a new show, A Behanding in Spokane, was to be produced in New York. And today the word comes down, via press release, that it will open directly on Broadway in March — the first of his plays to do so. It’s also the first to be set in the U.S., but don’t expect it to venture into uncharted territory. The press announcement describes Behanding as a “hilariously dark comedy” and elaborates: “Take a man searching for his missing hand, two con artists out to make a few hundred bucks, and an overly curious hotel clerk, and the rest is up for grabs.” As with his previous shows, you would probably be well advised not to sit in the front row.
I've heard rumors that Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite. True?
—Turbo_Power, via Twitter
You speak of the Meat Seen Round the World, do you not? I was wondering when you...
I wonder if any Youtube commenters called this video “Gay”? Doubt it.
The Times just posted the massive cover feature from this Sunday’s magazine on The Beatles: Rock Band. If the game’s premarketing hasn’t yet convinced you it’ll be the best thing since Abbey Road, then we highly suggest you immediately read all 8,500 words of Daniel Radosh’s piece. Our favorite part, though, is the hilarious story about the day the famously easygoing Yoko Ono visited Harmonix headquarters to check up on the game’s development.
Writes Radosh:
A week before my visit, Yoko Ono spent a day at Harmonix, tweaking. “Stop talking about the technology,” [Harmonix co-founder Alex] Rigopulos said she told them. “Let’s talk about the idea of what we are trying to accomplish here. John needs to own the performance, he needs to own the room. Where he’s looking and the look in his eye at every moment matters and affects people.” For the developers who were in the late stages of work and more than a little burned out, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant visit. “You can’t tell a computer, ‘Make his eyes look good,’ ” one artist pointed out to me. “You have to create a quantifiable system,” plotting “interest points” in key places and programming characters to look at those points at key times, say, at the other singer when they both lean in to the microphone, or at the camera when it passes by. Ono told me later that “John had this look that showed he was high-spirited and strong-willed,” which wasn’t coming through in the game.
Radosh doesn’t mention anything about Yoko having a bed delivered to the development studio — but he also doesn’t say it didn’t happen.
AP - Enduring the soul-sucking process of buying a used car is bad enough. Watching a movie about soulless used-car salesmen is even worse especially when it's a comedy that strains desperately for raunchy, politically incorrect laughs.
It might have been shameless and politically stupid, but did Senate Democrats break the law when they created a $120,000-a-year sinecure for the son of coup leader Pedro Espada? That's the question before Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, according to a high-ranking official in his office. "The attorney general's office has been considering the legality of the appointment since it first came to light on Monday. We're considering very closely the legal issues related to the hiring," the official told New York. Earlier today, a Republican candidate for governor, Rick Lazio, called on Cuomo to investigate the Senate's hiring of Espada's son, Pedro G. Espada, a former City Council member and assemblyman, as "deputy director of intergovernmental relations." The Cuomo aide said state lawyers are trying to determine if Senator Espada violated the Public Officers Law, which prohibits legislators from engaging in nepotism. The office may need a referral from another body, like the Legislative Ethics Commission, according to the official.
Update: We hear from a Senate source that Pedro G. Espada will resign. More on that when we can confirm it. Update 7:30pm: The Post is reporting that he's "quitting." Update 8pm:: A spokesperson for Senate Democrats confirms to Daily Intel that Pedro G. Espada will be resigning tomorrow.
Do your pants come up so high you could tuck a bra into them? Do you wear unicorns in a not-ironic fashion? Do you do all of the above while wearing zebra toe socks and flip-flops? Then Stacy and Clinton of TLC's What Not to Wear want to make you over. They're searching for the worst-dressed woman in America for their 250th episode. Nominate yourself or a friend — just don't nominate a man, because this contest is open to women only. [Second City Style]
Rupert Murdoch is currently using his 183-foot sailboat. Or at least he was a few weeks ago when the Rosehearty was spotted in Auke Bay, Alaska and the "rumor on the dock" was that mogul's special on-board guest was none other Mel Gibson. But if you're planning ahead, you may want to take note that you can now rent Murdoch's "aluminum masterpiece" by the week. It's not cheap—it will run you €220,000, or $310,000, a week. Then again, no one ever said a "stunning interior by famous French designer Christian Liagre" came cheap, and you can bring nine friends with you, so maybe you can split up the costs? While you try and make the numbers work, you can take the grand tour of Murdoch's floating palace after the jump.
Alan D. Schwartz, former CEO of Bear Stearns, in side angle lunge.
Annual Wall Street meat market Fashion Meets Finance is so 2007. The suits, the vodka, the hair product. It's all so artificial and garish. Post-recession, women are looking for something more. They're looking for a spiritual connection, in addition to someone who is stinking rich. We're making this up. The point is, we've figured out the new place to pick up a hot finance guy, and it is yoga class. Specifically, the classes at I.AM.YOU, a studio in Little Italy started by former Morgan Stanley fixed-income analyst Lauren Imparato. We know: Ordinarily, yoga "is not a macho enough workout for most guys," as Martin Ruiz, the 33-year-old president of Carter Bain Wealth Management and a frequent customer, told Bloomberg. But, he says, Imparato, owing to her eight years on Wall Street, teaches the kind of masculine, un-gay yoga a finance guy can get behind. Which is why he and others are flocking to her:
Imparato’s two weekly classes have attracted traders and analysts from Merrill Lynch & Co., Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
Amazing.
Don't get too excited, though, would-be handbag designers. This place may have already been discovered. In addition to the "hedge-fund managers, traders, and venture capitalists," Imparato says that there have been "jewelry designers and actors" in her classes. But who doesn't like a little competition?
Here's a question you've undoubtedly wrestled with for ages now: If you sleep with your doorman or super and the rest of the building finds out about it, will he end up losing his job? "I've had several instances where building staff were involved with residents and in each instance the building employee was terminated," says a real estate lawyer. The good news is that he stands to make a decent amount of money if—and when—he threatens to slap the co-op with an embarrassing wrongful termination lawsuit, especially "if it's a Park Avenue building and the super has had sex with the wife of the board president." [BrickUnderground via Curbed]
Sessilee Lopez wouldn't mind taking a few career cues from Tyra Banks. "I would love to benchmark myself after her," the 20-year-old said. "She went from being a pretty face to a mogul. It would be great to follow in her footsteps." The young beauty is already prepping for her takeover — she signed up for acting lessons. [W Editors' Blog/W]
A new poll shows that Sarah Palin's favorability rating has dropped to just 39 percent, compared with 48 percent who view her unfavorably. Most of the decline has come from her fellow Republicans and conservatives, and this poll doesn't even take into account her bizarre comments about death panels — which we're cautiously, perhaps naïvely optimistic did not help her with most sentient beings. Also, 5 percent of people have never heard of Sarah Palin. [Political Ticker/CNN]
“Disney has acquired pic rights to a new rendition of The Diary of Anne Frank, to be written and helmed by David Mamet ... The film will be an amalgamation of the famed diary; the stage adaptation by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich; and Mamet’s own original take on the material ... ” — Variety, August 12
OTTO FRANK: I’ve gotta get out of this fucking room.
ANNE: Keep your voice down.
OTTO [voice rising]: I am not going to keep my voice down, girlie. I have to get the hell out of here.
MARGOT: Dad, you know you’re going to get us killed.
OTTO: Jesus. I’m the head of this household, I can’t say a goddamn word. I’m nothing here. This room.
[Long pause]
ANNE: It’s the silence that frightens me most.
OTTO: You know what frightens me most? The fucking Nazis marching past the house, that’s what frightens me most. Miep Gies, the homeowner, enters through the secret door, bearing supplies.
GIES: All right, I’m here.
MR. VAN DAAN: I could use some coffee.
GIES: There’s no coffee. It’s rationed.
MR. VAN DAAN: That’s just fucking great. Maybe I’ll go to sleep now. You got anything else?
GIES: Like what?
MR. VAN DAAN: I don’t know. Cigarettes, maybe.
GIES: Is it a good idea to smoke in here? They might see it around the windows.
MR. VAN DAAN: What? [Long pause] What? Gies shrugs, peers into bag, pulls out a pack of cigarettes.
Anne is writing in her diary, and Peter looks over her shoulder.
PETER: What are you doing?
ANNE: When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived!
PETER: Sure, that’s great. Then the machine gets a hold of you. You know they want rewrites? Just you wait.
ANNE: But I want to be a writer!
PETER: And then you file your manuscript, and they cut the goddamn heart out of it. They want more of this, less of that. Add a hot girl, take out the power games, make it prettier. And Nazis. They always want Nazis. Such certainty they provide. I can’t stand it.
MRS. VAN DAAN: You’re not a writer ... what has you so upset?
PETER: This room. This goddamn fucking room.
[Another long pause]
OTTO [taking Mr. Van Daan aside]: The women seem content, don’t they?
MR. VAN DAAN: You never can tell with women.
Remember the heartwarming story of Lily, the five-legged puppy who narrowly escaped a life in a Coney Island freak show? At the time, freak-show owner John Strong said: "Sometimes you just gotta say, 'Okay, I still have nine live, two-headed animals' and move on." But Strong didn't move on. Catching the tantalizing whiff of a publicity stunt, he decided to sue the former owner of the puppy, Calvin Owensby, for $4,000 for reneging his offer of a sale. And he's not suing in any ordinary court. He's suing in former New York D.A. Jeanine Pirro's television courtroom! (He'll get $300 for the appearance alone.) Owensby, who probably should have known better than to call the owner of a freak show for any reason, ever, says there were no signed contracts. Meanwhile, little Lily is living with a sweet North Carolina woman who just wanted to save the dog from a terrible life of eating marijuana roaches and rubbery Nathan's-hot-dog remnants from the sidewalks of Coney Island. Strong says that if he wins the trial, he'll next fight to get the dog back from her. Which is ridiculous, because the dog's fifth leg has already been removed. We find it very hard to believe that a grizzled freak-show owner just wants this now-normal-limbed dog merely because it's an adorable cuddly-wuddly snuggle puppy.
Well, actually, look at the damn thing. That face would crack anybody's moldy, heavily tattooed exterior.
We've all heard about those nasty pirates off the coast of Somalia, who have been attacking cargo ships and the occasional cruise ship over the past few months. (If you're interested in a fantastic account of one such attack, check out this article by William Langewiesche from the April issue of Vanity Fair.) Is it possible the piracy trend now moving north to, say, European waters? That's what some are wondering now that a cargo ship seems to have mysteriously vanished off the coast of Sweden. It's possible it wasn't a pirate attack and was connected to a commercial dispute of some sort. Although if it was an attack by pirates, the view from the beaches of Saint-Tropez are about to get a little bit more interesting, no? [AP, related]
SALES STARTING TOMORROW
• Womenswear, menswear, and accessories are up to 80 percent off at the Cynthia Rowley sample sale. Through 8/16. 376 Bleecker St., nr. Perry St. (212-242-3803); Th (11:30-9), F (10—9), S (11—9), Su (11—8).
• Dresses, skirts, tops, and shorts by Minnie Mortimer are 30 percent off. Enter the code minnie30 at checkout. Through 8/19. Online only.
• Tucker is hosting a moving sale. Silk blouses are $50 to $160 (originally $265), camisoles are $40 to $100 (originally $180), and dresses are $60 (originally $160). Through 8/14. 13 Essex St., nr. Hester St. (212-777-8711); Th (11—7), F (9—7).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Take 30 to 60 percent off select Jill Stuart collection items at the annual summer sample sale. 100 Greene St., nr. Prince St. (212-343-2300); Th (noon—7), F (11—5).
In news that will come as a shock to absolutely no one, it appears that the Verve's short-lived 2008 reunion has ended in yet another breakup. According to a statement from the band's wildly talented yet frustratingly enigmatic guitarist, Nick McCabe, "The Verve seem to be on holiday and show no sign of not being on holiday." We'd say that we're bummed, but we've seen them do this dance more times than we can count. See you guys in 2017 for the twenty-year anniversary of Urban Hymns! [The Guardian via Information Leafblower]
If you were thinking the recent spate of Ponzi schemes has convinced investors to do a bit more due diligence before handing over their cash, think again: A group of a dozen hedge funds have filed a lawsuit against a California businessman named Todd Ault, who they accuse of taking the $4.2 million they gave him for a stock trading venture and instead investing it in a "swingers ranch" in the Catskills. We're thinking Ault's MySpace page should have been a tip off, but feel free to decide for yourself. [NYDN]
Imagine: Your fiancée tells you that former Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller has been harassing her. He has been texting her constantly and once even followed her to the supermarket! What do you do? Serve him a knuckle sandwich? No. You are the heir to a massive fortune. That stuff is, quite frankly, beneath you. A grander gesture is in order. With this knowledge you have been given, you think to yourself, comes responsibility. You need to do something big. Something that says that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Not just with Ali — sweet innocent Ali! With her doelike eyes! — but with any of the decent women in the morally solid county of Malibu, California. You need a plane, you say to yourself. A plane that will fly over the area dangling a simple message:
"REGGIE MILLER STOP PURSUING MARRIED WOMEN"
It's that now you're the jackass who ordered a damn plane to basically tip off his own cuckoldom.
Bill Clinton, about to turn a subtance made of sawdust and wet paper into a bar of gold.
Did you hear what the world's best, most popular Clinton has been up to lately? Even after risking his life by facing down the dangerous and unpredictable North Korean regime, and, by his sheer cunning and intellect, securing the seemingly impossible release of two American hostages destined to otherwise spend the next decade cracking asbestos stones with pickaxes, Bill Clinton has refused to rest on his laurels. Just two days after returning Stateside, he announced a deal with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of HIV/AIDS drugs. He soon jetted off to Las Vegas to promote sustainable energy and infuse our economy with some much-needed heedless spending at the pricey Craftsteak, a sacrifice so few people are willing to make these days. And today, in just his latest altruistic act, he announced a partnership with Zagat to rejuvenate Harlem with a guide to its restaurants and attractions. Meanwhile, throughout all this selflessness and hardship, Bill's wife, Democratic-primary also-ran Hillary Clinton, has been enjoying a carefree African safari on the dime of the U.S. taxpayer and occasionally yelling at students for asking questions she dislikes.
The 15th annual Sarajevo Film Festival opened Wednesday with an open-air screening of the Romanian film "Tales from the Golden Age" set in the final years of dictator Nicolai Ceausescu's rule. Prizes of... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 12:37 pm
Did your husband just leave you? Well, then, have a look at the "Suddenly Splitsville" package that the Marmara Manhattan, an "extended-stay" hotel on the Upper East Side, is now offering. In addition to a fully-furnished luxury apartment, you'll get a one-year subscription to Divorce magazine, "a pint of Haagen Daz [sic] ice cream to drown those sorrows in," a free pass to the 92nd Street Y "to work on that new physique," a complimentary copy of Confessions Of An Online Dating Addict, "a book about the trials and tribulations of a woman who dated online in New York City to learn all about dating on the Web," and free wireless Internet access so you "can start surfing the dating sites." You really couldn't ask for anything else, could you? [Marmara Manhattan via YM]
G.I. Joe star and stuff-holderChanning Tatum has discovered a new way to promote his summer blockbuster — leaking a tape of him stripping with a Chippendale’s-style male revue when he was 18.
I would make a comment about his hilarious early-90s-style baggy ensemble, but this is from 1999, so… maybe it was a themed revue? Either way, it makes more sense than anything in G.I. Joe:
Feel free to launch into the obligatory “Why you postin’ this, Dan…WINK” comments, but really, all there is to it is that I am gay and want to have sex with him. That’s it.
Aww, he’s like a little Duck Jesus!
Wait, did we say little?
This motherf*cker is huge.
Duckfoot closeup!
Those nails are surprisingly delicate and ladylike, no?
Writer/director David Mamet, seen here in 2008, will direct a movie based on "The Diary of Anne Frank" for Disney, the Hollywood trade magazine Variety reported Wednesday. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 11:55 am
At first glance, you might think the above photo is of a newly coiffed Kate Gosselin landing herself a new man using her former breastfeeding bra. Well… you’re not that far off.
What you’re actually looking at is a photo of Full House’s Kimmy Gibbler — played by Andrea Barber and, according to her Wiki page, a “human” — throwing a giant “charity bra” on the head of none other than Dave Coulier, née Uncle Joey.
In fact, the entire cast of Full House (minus John Stamos, Nicky Katsopolis, Derek Boyd, and of course the Olsen twins, who could clearly use the above bra as a double hammock) were photographed signing this Mrs. Doubtfire prop in the name of charity. Proceeds stemming from the sale of the bra will go to “Bras for a Cause,” a charity supporting breast cancer survivors in Michigan.
Most excited about signing a giant beige bra? Bob Saget, of course:
(Ahead, pics of Unkie Danny, DJ, Stephanie Tanner, and that one dude who was the voice of Aladdin.)
Bob Saggies doesn’t have time for your photo ops, thank you.
We basically barely remember this guy on the show, but for sure like 6 of you will be excited at the prospect of Steve circa 2009.
Jodie Sweetin is looking great and totally unmethy! Though the foundation needs to dial down the Scissorhands a little.
Finally, is Candance Cameron converting her son to Judaism? Not likely. But oh, what a hilarious child’s bald cap it makes! Also, if your local California CVS is out of bumpits… you will know who to blame.
In today’s BWE.tv’s Lessons in the Internet, we focus on Facebook and the workplace. This rule is actually pretty simple, and it goes as follows:
Rule #8,510: When you are friends with your boss on Facebook, do your best not to call him a “pervy wanker” in your status message, lest the following happen:
A pile of rubble is pictured in the main street of the devastated small village of Onna in April 2009. People in the quake-hit mountain village of Onna, near l'Aquila, are talking of a miracle after officials... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 11:25 am
According to In Touch Weekly sources (in gossip mags, “sources” usually means “hyperfacts”), Kate Hudson wants to bear the love child of Yankees slugger / great-public-image-haverAlex Rodriguez.
Take it away, speculative-ass friend quote:
…A friend of hers explains: “She just turned 30 and she’s ready to have her second child. She wants Ryder to have a sibling, so she brought up the idea to Alex and told him that they would make a beautiful baby together, and that she would assume all financial responsibility.”
I don’t know, this sounds pretty speculative (except the part about all financial responsibility, cause that’s definitely how people talk when they’re planning to have a kid, plus it’s not like A-Rod makes $850 mil a year or anything). I need some concrete evidence that Kate Hudson wants to have A-Rod’s love child.
Thankfully, here is that concrete evidence:
Kate has even introduced Alex to her mom, Goldie Hawn, and Goldie’s partner, Kurt Russell, who accompanied her to Yankee Stadium on August 8 to watch the Yankees play the Boston Red Sox. “They cheered when Alex was at bat and he smiled at them when he was on third base,” says an onlooker.
OH MY GOD SHE’S PREGNANT AS SH*T. Oh, she’s not yet? Well she will be, cause if an onlooker saw them cheering while Alex was at bat, that means they are effing without a condom on. Also, everyone else in Yankee Stadium was cheering when Alex came to bat, so they’re probably also f***ing.
Also, “Hello Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, I am Alex Rodriguez” sounds like the opening line to a MAD TV sketch. Which is usually a good omen for things happening in real life.
A veiw of Paris shows the Eiffel Tower (at left) and a Paris military school. A French hip hop group who this month became world champion in the genre but is virtually a nobody in France is to perform... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 10:07 am
Italian Maestro Riccardo Muti is seen during a press conference at the Salzburg Festival on August 6, 2009 in Salzburg. Muti will conduct "Moise et Pharon," a rarely performed Rossini opera. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 10:07 am
He may be one of the hottest stars in Hollywood these days, but G.I. Joe star Channing Tatum began his career in entertainment by stripping! Source: FOXNews.com | 12 Aug 2009 | 10:06 am
Indian actor Shahid Kapoor (R) and Priyanka Chopra attend a press conference organized to promote their forthcoming film "Kaminey" in Bangalore. The release of two high-profile Bollywood films has been... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 10:03 am
A child looks at promotional material for the James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace" playing at a theater in one of Beijing's newest shopping malls in 2008. The World Trade Organisation on Wednesday ordered... Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 9:59 am
PS, Someone might want to notify Helena, because please check out this b*llshit:
The woman was paid a mere $3,500 for her contribution and signed legal papers handing over all rights to the child. Her identity is an even bigger secret within the Jackson family. It is unlikely she was even told that her eggs were involved in Blanket’s birth.
$3,500?! That’s IT? Make this a lesson to all you poor college girls out there: Never settle for anything less than $10,000 for one of your eggs. Because you never know when that egg will go on to meet some famous-ass sperm in a dark alley somewhere and eventually produce a multi-millionaire baby named after a common household object. Though the idea of my little girl Febreeze Jones running around on some huge ranch out there is pretty special…
AP - The mysterious and alarming signs have been out there for weeks, months even: On billboards, benches and bus stops featuring crude cartoon alien drawings, they've warned us of non-humans, they've urged us to remain separate.
Quentin Tarantino's new movie "Inglourious Basterds" comes with a film inside the film, a Nazi propaganda movie promoting the glory of Germany's Third Reich.
Actor Sylvester Stallone seen here in January 2009. Stallone will receive a top prize at next month's Venice Film Festival, organisers have said. Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 12 Aug 2009 | 9:08 am
Rob Thomas recently released "Cradlesong," his second solo CD. Even though he's clearly excited about it, he spends as much time talking about Matchbox Twenty. For the singer-songwriter, one has fed into the other since he gained household name status after scoring a massive hit with Carlos Santana on "Smooth."
After nearly a week of silence, Michael Douglas is finally speaking out about son Cameron Douglas' arrest.
"The family is devastated and very disappointed in Cameron's recent...
That's right, folks.
It's been nearly two years since TV journalist Rita Cosby released that steamy Anna Nicole Smith tell-all and today, a judge granted Smith's former...
Kendra Wilkinson and hubby Hank Baskett are having a boy!
The newlyweds found out earlier today.
"We were at the doctor's, and he said, 'You wanna know now?'...
Better yet, Anna Faris has tied the knot.
The House Bunny and Scary Movie star and her actor beau, Chris Pratt, swapped vows in July, Faris' rep confirms to E! News.
Back...
Kourtney Kardashian is going to be a mom!
While the E! reality star confirms she's pregnant with her first child, Ms. K isn't revealing too much right now. For starters,...
The Twilight saga adds a new undead darling to the cast of Eclipse, with Catalina Sandino Moreno joining supersucker Robert Pattinson et al. in the third intallment of the trilogy, according to...
Could Victoria Beckham's stint as a post-Paula Abdul judge on American Idol be more than the one-off gig asserted by producers?
Quite possibly.
E! News has learned that...
I've heard rumors that Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite. True?
—Turbo_Power, via Twitter
You speak of the Meat Seen Round the World, do you not? I was wondering when you...
Here's a question you've undoubtedly wrestled with for ages now: If you sleep with your doorman or super and the rest of the building finds out about it, will he end up losing his job? "I've had several instances where building staff were involved with residents and in each instance the building employee was terminated," says a real estate lawyer. The good news is that he stands to make a decent amount of money if—and when—he threatens to slap the co-op with an embarrassing wrongful termination lawsuit, especially "if it's a Park Avenue building and the super has had sex with the wife of the board president." [
According to 
